


Heart of the Spirits

by Seer_of_Soul



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Courting Rituals, Courting Rivals, Duel Monsters, Duel Spirits, Emotional Baggage, Emotionally Repressed, Kindred Spirits, Men Crying, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Next Generation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Rival Relationships, Strong Female Characters, a sort of next gen/sequel to gx, because gx is my favorite, so i feel like picking on it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: Expanding on some of the ideas put forward but not really explored in GX...By basically making a sequel to it.Card spirits are more common than people think, as well as the number of people who can see them. Even though most people can't see them, the sprits are there, they make connections to their duelists. And duelists make connections to their spirits.Come to DA North-West, where older duelists can learn the ins and outs of the dueling world. The teachers are eccentric, the spirits are sometimes malevolent, and the students might just know each other already....
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Heart of the Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to have this fic as a back burner type fic, but I do not control the hyperfixation or the speed at which lobsters die, so who knows what'll happen. 
> 
> Also, there will ~~probably~~ definitely be cards in this fic that didn't exist in the time period of the fic, I tried to do research, but it didn't work real well, so please forgive any time traveling cards and stuff.

“Entrance exams are even more stressful than final exams,” Daichi muttered to himself, settling back against his seat in the stands of the makeshift dueling arena. 

Some college had offered up their gymnasium for Duel Academy North-West’s students entrance exam. It was still considered new, so the fact that they even had an exam station in the city was both impressive and appreciated. 

“You said it,” the guy sitting behind him said in response. Daichi twitched, glancing over his shoulder to see an examinee sitting right behind him, looking cool and confident. “Hey,” the guy said, leaning forward. “You’re wearing a uniform already. What are you doing at the entrance exams if you’re already in Duel Academy?” 

Daichi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. But only barely. He fixed a disbelieving look on the examinee. He had black hair with bright red streaks, all heaped over to one side, though the few locks of hair that hung around his face was a bright blond. He had a bright light in his eyes, something like ‘burning passion’. He was probably a little shorter than Daichi, if they stood side by side.  
Something told him he wouldn’t get out of not answering. Daichi sighed in resignation, “Scoping out potential future classmates.” That was only part of it though. But this guy didn’t need to know that he’d been stuck in the city for the summer and gotten bored just sitting around. But that was why he was here, not what he was doing, so technically he’d answered the question truthfully. 

“Well make sure to scope out me!” the guy huffed proudly, pointing at himself. “The name’s Yuji Souma. And I’m gonna duel circles around the examiners!”

Somehow, Daichi seriously doubted that. 

The spirit of his Shadow Crawler whispered a laugh beside him, slipping into the visible layer of the spiritual plane and slinking around behind Yuji, making scratching claws at his face. 

Shadow Crawler was a dark shadow, flat like a kite or a sheet, or a shadow spread out across the ground. Its claws were long and wickedly sharp, shaped in a form that wasn’t quite a human hand. Its eyes glowed in different colors, but usually switched between yellow and red. They were narrowed into evil looking red slits as Shadow Crawler mimed scratching Yuji’s face off. 

It couldn’t actually hurt him, it was a spirit, and Daichi had long since grown used to Shadow Crawler’s morbid sense of humor. It had partially rubbed off on him. So, Daichi turned away before he could roll his eyes and smirk. At least /someone/ was enjoying Yuji’s super inflated ego. It was one thing to boast when you actually knew what you were talking about, another to just try to make yourself look good to some stranger.

Daichi’s eyes wandered leisurely over the duel exams in progress, eyeing one kid who was working over the examiner with a bunch of direct attack monsters and effects. That was unique and interesting. Daichi figured he’d make Ra Yellow for sure. 

He found a few girls mixed in there and watched with interest. It was uncommon to see girls in the dueling world, which made each one all the more interesting. A big girl he zeroed in on was using a bunch of flashy cards, the exploding kind. She practically scared her examiner right out of his place on the taped down dueling arena when several explosions went off in his face. Daichi was really impressed when he followed one girl as she walked out and ended her duel in three turns. Oh, she was gonna be fun!

Daichi covered his mouth with his hand to hide his excited grin. This year’s first-years were going to be interesting! Those three would definitely make Ra Yellow. And while he was in Obelisk Blue, and technically better than them, it made things way more interesting to have powerful challengers coming up from below. Maybe he’d have to struggle to beat them. Gods, he hoped so.

“Aw, poor guy looks like he’s gonna have a heart attack,” Yuji muttered. Daichi felt himself jump when the guy’s breath ran over the shell of his ear. He whipped around, glaring and wrinkling his nose in distaste. Why was he so close?! 

But Yuji wasn’t looking at him to notice. He pointed off to the side, at someone sitting in a different area of the stands. 

Sitting off on his own, hunched over the deck he was desperately leafing through, was a meek looking kid with sandy blond hair who looked about three seconds from a full-blown panic attack. Daichi rolled his eyes. He almost looked away, but he suddenly saw a shimmer around him, like heat rising off asphalt. 

Daichi blinked, narrowing his eyes as he tried to focus on it. Was that a spirit? He couldn’t make out its form, and the color of the shimmer kept changing, so he couldn’t quite figure out…. After a moment he huffed through his nose and turned away. 

Well, a duel spirit did not a good duelist make. If the kid’s demeanor was anything to go by, Daichi would never get close enough to find out what that spirit was. So, he pushed it out of his mind and looked back at the in-progress exams. 

Someone in the field closest to him activated a field spell, rudely blocking his view of the rest of the duels. Daichi sighed and slumped down in his seat. Maybe he should just go get lunch instead. Yuji leaned over the back of Daichi’s chair, straining to see beyond the spell. He was definitely invading Daichi’s personal space. Time to go get lunch. 

~

Move in day was exciting for new and returning students alike. DA North-West was one of the two colleges out of the nine branches in Seto Kaiba’s Duel Academies. And like all the others, DA North-West was situated on an island owned by Seto Kaiba himself. Something-something branding, something-something stupid rich eccentric. 

The students arrived by plane, which always circled the island at least once, just for the show. While DA North-West’s island wasn’t as big as the main campus’s, it looked pretty similar. Covered with trees, there were only a few clear spaces for the dorms and school buildings. Pathways wound around the island like a web, leading from dorms to the school building, through the woods, to the beach, and back again. 

The dorms were covered in streamers for the welcome parties. The Ra dorm even had balloons. The Obelisk dorm had a full course meal set up in buffet style, and a hallway full of famous and important duels showing on repeat, which hadn’t really been updated in over a decade. Daichi hadn’t seen what was going on at the Osiris dorm, though he didn’t expect anything impressive.

The first-years were marched into the full school auditorium and given their duel-disks, uniforms, and class schedules in front of the rest of the school. Daichi, along with the other ‘coming from the prep-high-schools’ first-years, had gotten his stuff already. So, didn’t have to participate in the color giving ceremony and were already sitting down in the blue section of the stands. 

Actually, all of the new blue students had gotten their things already, and some, like Daichi, had even moved in almost a week prior. Those were some of the perks of being Obelisk, he guessed. Daichi scanned the freshman as they donned their colors. He spotted the direct attack guy, the girl with all the exploding cards, and the three-turn-kill girl, all in Ra Yellow. His lips quirked up.

One ‘Yuji Souma’ was nowhere to be seen.

~

After the students had all been inducted, they were sent to their respective dorms for partying and unpacking, not necessarily in that order. Daichi, having been one of the students that had moved in early, had nothing to unpack, nothing to set up, and therefore, nothing to do. He had no real interest in the party either, aside from the food. So, after he’d eaten and wandered out of the partying area of the dorm, he found himself in the common room. 

It was mostly quiet; most people had stayed in the party. So, he settled down on a couch, propping his feet up. There were a few people hanging around the common room, older students it seemed. There was a small group of five sitting clustered around a table. Daichi eyed the duel-disks sitting on their table, seeing several white duel-disks with blue-colored trim. They were upper classmen then, third-years.

Daichi felt a little smug, being so similar to the third-years who had better things to do instead of partying. They were mature, and since he was doing the same thing they were, he was too. But the peace of the quiet common room didn’t last long. A group of guys sauntered in, talking and laughing loudly. How annoying. Daichi shot a glare towards them that no one seemed to notice and saw that they were all holding armfuls of booster packs. Daichi rolled his eyes. 

The guys started handing out the booster packs to everyone they saw, specifically every boy in blue. One of them shoved a pack into Daichi’s hands, actually grabbing his hands to forcibly wrap his fingers around it. 

“Here. Think of it as a ‘welcome to DA North-West’ present.” Then he very helpfully informed him that the foreign girl working the counter at the store was ‘super-hot’. 

As people tore into the packs with fervent delight, Daichi fought the urge to roll his eyes. Someone was laughing about how they’d apparently cleaned out all the packs from the store, just so the Osiris and Ra students couldn’t get any.

Someone else leaned over the back of the couch and said, “The Osiris dorm is down by the beach. We were thinking about going to teach them their place.” He was sneering. There was an unspoken offer. ‘Wanna come with?’

‘No, not really.’ 

Daichi hummed noncommittally and stood up. He slipped out of the room and out of the dorm before any of them could catch him. He didn’t need to beat up a bunch of Osiris Reds to feel good about himself. He didn’t want to hang around people who did. ‘Duelist pride vs duelist ego,’ he thought bitterly. 

Maybe he could find a strong Ra to duel, a friendly kind of welcome duel. He’d been dueling the other early move in Obelisks for the past week. He needed some variety in his diet. Then again, he’d been spending the past week only being around other Obelisks, maybe he just needed some air. 

Daichi followed half a dozen paths, actively trying to get lost. Shadow Crawler slipped into the spiritual plane and slunk along beside him, chittering excitedly as it investigated the new area. The older students had told him, ‘If you stick to the paths, you can find your way anywhere… eventually.’

The sun was riding low over the ocean, throwing golden light over everything. Birds sang from deeper in the forest. Shadow Crawler was gleefully investigating the elongating shadows, chasing crickets and the like. 

Daichi took a deep breath, letting himself relax. It felt nice here. It felt free, open, peaceful.

But a small ‘ow’ coming from the trees to his left quickly smashed that feeling to smithereens. 

Shadow Crawler’s head jerked up, and it flew towards Daichi, wrapping around his leg under his long blue coat. He didn’t have to look to know it had camouflaged itself with his pants. Shadow Crawler preferred lurking when it had the chance. Daichi felt the pressure of it lesson, as it faded. That was curious. 

Daichi raised his chin to stare down his nose at the brush at the edge of the forest. He stood his ground, like any respectable duelist would do. A bright red blur tumbled out of the brush with a high-pitched squeak. He blinked blankly at the kid as he caught himself on his elbows. A small groan escaped him as he shook his head. “Ow. I don’t think that was a shortcut…,” the kid muttered, rubbing the back of his hand against his chin. 

“No, probably not,” Daichi responded. 

The kid jerked sharply, head snapping forwards until he was looking at Daichi’s boots, and then he slowly realized he wasn’t alone. In a flurry of movement, he scrambled to his feet, turning about the same color as his red jacket. “Um! H-hi… um….” The kid looked like he was trying to shrink into his jacket to hide. 

“Hi…,” Daichi said back. This kid seemed familiar somehow.

He was unassuming, though that didn’t necessarily mean much as a duelist. His hair was a sandy color, part way between blond and brown. He was in Osiris, shown plainly by the bright red jacket. Under the uniform jacket though, he wore a grey and white hoodie, with the hood hanging over the collar of the jacket. He shuffled his weight nervously, not quite meeting Daichi’s eyes. There was a black duel-disk on his arm, the class color of duel-disk for Daichi’s class. He was a first-year too then. 

Daichi narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of where he’d seen… oh! This was the kid who was freaking out at the entrance exams! So, he had made it into the academy after all, even if he’d ended up in Osiris. Daichi wondered for a moment if he should ask about the spirit that he’d thought he saw, but very quickly decided against it. Just because the kid /had/ a spirit, didn’t mean he could /see/ it. And there was no reason he should mention it.

Daichi crossed his arms over his chest, leaning his weight onto one leg. “What the hell were you doing in the forest?” Because that was clearly not the more pressing question, but it was the only one he would allow himself to ask. 

The kid twitched a little, looking down at his shoes. “Um, my- my friend said it was a shortcut back to… the red dorm….” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Daichi snorted, rolling his eyes. “No, the red dorm is by the beach, on the edge of the island. That way,” he jabbed a finger over his shoulder, in the direction the kid was traveling, “is the center of the island. That’s where the school building is.”

The kid looked like someone had slapped his lunch out of his hands. He mumbled, “Oh. My mistake then….”

Daichi felt kinda sorry for this kid, even if he was an Osiris. First day here and he was already getting hazed? He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, word of advice: the people in other dorms aren’t your friends. You’re in Osiris so the other dorms are going to haze you. Even the Ras, but /especially/ the Obelisks. Osiris Reds are the butt of the jokes around here, the low link in the food chain, so don’t just believe anything anybody tells you. Remember that and you shouldn’t get into extra trouble.” 

The kid blinked, looking confused for a moment. Daichi could actually see the light go off in his head. He mouthed ‘oh’ and looked hesitant to say anything else. 

Daichi felt his eyebrows raise, extrapolating into that response. So… whoever sent him in the wrong direction wasn’t in Ra or Obelisk. Daichi felt himself sigh again, in sympathy this time. So even the older Osiris students hazed their first years. Geez. “And first-years are apparently even lower than upperclassmen,” he amended. 

The kid blinked and nodded, pursing his lips. “Right…,” he murmured.

Daichi huffed and started walking down the path. Shadow Crawler hissed softly, curling tighter around his leg as he moved it. It was something they’d done before so Daichi didn’t think too much about it. Shadow Crawler could slip out of the closer spiritual plane, or whatever, if it was really annoyed. 

“Oh, um….” the kid gasped, taking a step forward, then backwards. “Um! Can- can I ask what your name is…?” 

Daichi paused, looking over his shoulder. He couldn’t see any reason not to…. “Daichi Yuichi.” 

The kid smiled shyly, dipping his head in a little nod. “My name’s- Sora Yuen.” 

Daichi hummed and turned away again. School started tomorrow, so dorm rivalries and the like could wait till then too. “Red dorm is somewhere over that way,” he said, pointing towards the beach, where he was pretty sure the dorm was. 

“Oh. Uh, thank you…!”

Daichi shook his head. “Don’t thank me.” He looked back at Sora, not turning around this time. “And don’t expect anything from here on out. As of tomorrow, we’re an Osiris and Obelisk. We’re not friends.” 

Sora blinked, then nodded slightly, taking a step back. “Alright. It- it was nice meeting you anyways.” 

“Whatever,” Daichi huffed, throwing a wave over his shoulder. Right now, he wanted peace and quiet, away from everyone. Shadow Crawler was the only tolerable exception. 

He heard Sora turn and scurry back into the woods, in the direction he’d pointed him in. He heard him say something, but only caught part of it. “Told you- was this way, K-.”

Daichi glanced behind him, then shook his head at himself. “Just because he can see spirits too, if that was even what it was, that doesn’t mean we’d be friends.” Shadow Crawler peeled itself off his leg, floating beside his head. Daichi shot it a look and turned away. He’d probably barely see him again, so there was no use thinking about it.

~

When he got back to the Obelisk dorm, it was well after dark. The common room was mostly empty, except for a small group of boys who were still clustered around their table, talking in low voices, and someone who was passed out over the couch. Daichi slipped past them all, Shadow Crawler ghosting across the ground at his heels. 

He slipped into his room, and pushed the door shut, his hand lingering for a moment. The Obelisk dorms were all singles, with more than enough space to spread out. Daichi had left his space mostly undecorated, except for the laundry basket he’d filled with extra blankets and pillows. Shadow Crawler zipped across the room and curled up in the hamper, churring happily as it watched Daichi get ready for bed. 

Daichi paused when he felt the lump in his coat pocket. He pulled out the booster pack the other Blue had given him and wrinkled his nose in disgust. He dropped the unopened booster pack in a drawer he wasn’t using, and shut it harder than he probably needed to. He didn’t need the charity or the flattery or the bribe, or whatever the hell else it had been. 

He’d made it into Obelisk on his own merits. He was better than that. 

Daichi rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He was a top ranked Obelisk. That meant /something/. He didn’t need anyone’s help. He was strong. People looked up to him, in fear, in admiration, in respect. He was a frightening powerhouse of a duelist. He was a gods-damned inspiration.

Shadow Crawler hissed irritably, flexing its claws against the edge of the laundry basket. Daichi huffed through his nose and turned away from the drawer, promptly forcing himself to forget about the booster pack hidden in there. He shucked off his coat and tossed it over Shadow Crawler and the basket, earning a more annoyed hiss. 

Daichi was strong. He didn’t need any one. And he’d be damned before he ever let himself touch that pack.

**Author's Note:**

> >w> Hmm, some interesting character conflict already. Wonder how that'll turn out.... 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
